Doesn't Make The Most Of Itself

Radio Record, 15 July 1938, Page 26

Doesn't Make The Most Of Itself

{"The Baroness ang the Butler," 20th Century-Fox.. Directed by Wale. . ter Lang, starring William. Powell, © Annabélla. First release: Christ: . church, July 15.]

S a variation on the old theme of the servant in love . with. his. mistress, 20th Century-Fox’s "The Baroness and the Butler" offered:an idea capable of being. exploited almost to the limit of comic. entertainment. -For’ most of the time, however, that idea remains just a forlorn ghost wandering about the screen seeking release and finding none, Here you have a butler roared in the tradition of loyal service to the Prime Minister of Hungary, who takes up politics and throws his master’s party out of power-and: then. jeopardises everything by falling in love.most indiscreetly with the master’s: daughter, the Baroness. That theme could have. been -developed as pure romantic melodrama, in which case it would probably have been little different from a .dozen other pictures with the same — hasic plot. Or it could have been treated .as sheer comedy-in which case it would have stood a good chance, with such players as Annabella and William Powell to help it, of becoming one of the most diverting films of the year. But "The Baroness and the Butler" tries to run with the hares of satirical farce and hunt with the hounds of ro- mantic melodrama. Asa resnit, if you will excuse the mixed metaphor, the show falls between two stools, Best At Beginning "rpm Baroness and the Butler" scores most of its points early, when it is chiefly concerned with being a social and political _ comedy with a dash of satire. The butler’s: personal devotion to the Prime Minister and his family is established in several quite clever, if rather slow-moving sequences; and then comes the revelation that he has heen elected as a delegate of the Social Progressive Party. in opposition to the P.M. The picture reaches its peak in that scene where the butler-politician, bringing drinks out on .to.the castle terrace for the indignant nobility, is

invited:to follow his master in. an address‘ over the air to the electors-and does:so with a fighting speech that increases the indignation of everybody but ‘the P.M. himself, who is chiefly worried by the thought that he-may now have to tie his own ties. Romantic Conflict F the whole film could have been handled in the style of that early scene, it might have been first-class farcical fare for sophisticated palatesthough @ Prime Minister who could treat his worst political enemy so benignly would still have been hard to swallow. Statesmen-of the type depicted by Henry Stephenson are not of this world. Occasionally thereafter you get a flavour of what the authors of this Hungarian play must originally have intended; but for the most part it is lost when the-emphasis is placed on the theme of romantic conflict between the Baroness and the Butler. From being the butler’s iciest opponent, the Baroness gradually warms toward him and finally melts into his arms-only to be caught by her husband (Joseph Schildkraut), who tries to make political capital from the indiscretion. Instead of being treated lightly, this conventional situation is conventionally handled .as_ semi-serious emotional drama, leading to an absurdly far-fetch-ed climax when the Baroness stands up in the gallery of Parliament and makes an-impassioned speech disclosing the whole dirty plot to make her butlerlover resign. In such a context, a climax like that could only avoid striking a false note if it were treated purely as a joke. It isn’t-but it’s still a joke. ... And The Cast POWELL’S butler is a charming but un-life-like hero-as efficient as a Hungarian Jeeves, ag suave as only Powell can be when he is playing butler parts: Perhaps it is because the role is so typical of him that he guve me the impression of being mechanically ecompetent-but hardly more. Annabella’s first American picture leaves her practically where she was before-she has certainly not improved on "Wings of the Morning." Nor has Hollywood done anything to solve the problem of her French aceent.. If anything, she is more incoherent than ever. Yet Annabella is a gorgeous creature, with her Gallic vieacity, her feline quickness of movement, the clear-cut lines of her countenance. There is something tremendonsly vital about Annabella, which even the ertificiality of her present role cannot ‘hide. If only it were not such a strain to follow her dialogue. ... All Very Nebulous SCHILDKRAUT is never given much chance to make anything definite of his role ag the Baron. Better served are.Helen Westley and Nigel Bruce. Indeed, I thought that Bruce, ¢vith the smallest part, practicaHy made it the best. 1 am afraid this review is somewhat tepid. But so, I thought, was the picture.’ Apart from Annabella, I found little in it to arouse extremes of either enthusiasm or dislike, or make it anything more. than mildly entertgining.